Dark patterns in digital platforms exploit consumer psychology through deceptive design – false urgency, hidden fees, and subscription traps. This article examines India’s 2023 Dark Pattern Guidelines, global regulatory trends, case studies, and consumer remedies to ensure fair digital marketplaces and protect free, informed choice.
In a world where the internet remembers everything, can individuals truly move on from their past? As India’s digital footprint expands and personal data becomes more vulnerable, the Right to Be Forgotten emerges as a crucial but complex safeguard for privacy and human dignity. Tracing its roots in European jurisprudence and evolving through Indian courts and the DPDP Act, this article explores the legal, technological, and ethical contours of this right and what still stands in the way of its full realization.
In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court in Gajanan Dattatray Gore strongly condemned the practice of granting bail based on monetary undertakings. The Court emphasized that all bail applications — whether regular or anticipatory — must be decided solely on legal merit, not on the accused’s willingness to deposit money, reaffirming the principle that justice cannot be bought.
As India intensifies its push toward renewable energy, the coexistence of Renewable Purchase Obligations (RPO) under the Electricity Act and Renewable Consumption Obligations (RCO) under the Energy Conservation Act has created regulatory uncertainty. This article unpacks the Draft RCO Notification of 2024, spotlighting sectoral blind spots, constitutional concerns, and compliance challenges. It examines the gaps between RCO and RPO frameworks and argues for harmonization to avoid duplication and ease regulatory burdens for industry.
While there is no legal bar on pursuing both civil and criminal remedies for the same dispute, Indian courts have increasingly scrutinized whether criminal complaints are being used as tools of coercion in civil matters. This article explores how the Supreme Court applies the “overwhelming element of criminality” test to decide whether to quash criminal proceedings when a parallel civil dispute exists, with insights across insolvency, matrimonial, contractual, and testamentary contexts.
As India accelerates its clean energy transition, Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) offer a flexible route for corporates to support renewable energy without altering their electricity supply. This article explains the mechanics of VPPAs, their regulatory framework under SEBI and CERC, and how they enable sustainability commitments through financial settlement and REC transfer – without physical power delivery.
As India’s online gaming industry accelerates, legal clarity remains elusive. This article unpacks how courts have distinguished games of skill from games of chance, the constitutional tussle between state bans and central regulation, and what a unified legal framework could mean for fantasy sports, poker, rummy, and beyond.
As India expands its infrastructure footprint, the rights of landowners often clash with the power of eminent domain. This article explores the evolution from the 1894 Land Acquisition Act to the progressive 2013 law, highlighting compensation, resettlement, and judicial safeguards that now define land acquisition in India.
India’s power sector takes a major leap with Electricity Futures, enabling businesses to hedge against price volatility and improve risk management. This article explores how financial electricity contracts work, their regulatory framework under SEBI and CERC, and why they are vital for a transparent and efficient energy market.
The Supreme Court’s Bhushan Steel judgment exposes serious lapses in India’s insolvency framework, from procedural violations to CoC oversight failures. Our analysis unpacks key lessons, judicial intervention limits, and urgent IBBI reforms needed to restore transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP).